Martin Clunes with chief executive Steve Skinner at Skinners Brewery, Truro, during the TV star's visit to Cornwall to help promote a campaign to raise awareness about meningitis

Britain’s best-known fictional doctor called in on Skinners Brewery at Truro during a visit to Cornwall to help promote a campaign to raise awareness about meningitis.

Martin Clunes – TV’s Doc Martin – had earlier been to Bosvigo School, where he helped launch “Colour My Friday,” a joint campaign by the Handstand Appeal and Meningitis UK.

Handstand has been set up for two-year-old meningitis victim Marshall Janson who, together with his mum and dad, joined Martin in the Skinners tour.

Accompanied by chief executive Steve Skinner, Martin pulled a pint of Handstand Hooch, the special limited edition beer Skinners are producing on behalf of the appeal. He was presented with a case of bottled Handstand Hooch by Steve and his sales manager, Stuart Hughes.

Martin also signed two Handstand rugby shirts, which Skinners are sponsoring for the next three years. The signed shirts will be auctioned to raise money for the appeal.

Martin Clunes at Skinners Brewery, Truro, with chief executive Steve Skinner (centre) and sales manager Stuart Hughes, during the TV star's visit to Cornwall to help promote a campaign to raise awareness about meningitis

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Taken from:  The Brewing Network

“The Brewing Network, a live web radio show in the US, with some 30,000 listeners, and 100,000 downloads per podcast featured SIBA Member Moor Beer from Somerset this past week”

In our annual pre-game show for Superbowl Sunday we welcome a wonderful UK brewery to the studio, Moor Beer Company. What better way to celebrate an American tradition than with Europeans! We talk about real ale, cask conditioning, and how Moor’s brewmaster Justin Hawke is able to infuse new American styles with traditional English beer. Phil from Beer Merchants joins us too and we get to try beer from 1985! It’s better than a new pair of nutters.

Click here for the link to the MP3

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APPEALING SHIRTS. Marshall Janson and parents Moss Janson and Stephanie Harris are joined by Redruth rugby skipper Darren Jacques at the unveiling of the Handstand Appeal shirt

Skinners Brewery has lent more support for a two-year-old meningitis victim with sponsorship of new rugby shirts to be worn by a team created to help raise funds for him.

The Handstand Harlequins will play charity matches in aid of Marshall Janson, of Carharrack in Cornwall, who has had both his hands and both his legs amputated.

The Handstand Appeal is raising money to buy prosthetic limbs for Marshall, who has been “adopted” by Redruth Rugby Club. Stars of the club’s first team formally unveiled the new shirts, which are part of a three-year sponsorship package agreed with Truro-based Skinners.

As well as the shirt sponsorship, Skinners are also producing a limited edition beer every year over their three-year sponsorship period. The first, Handstand Hooch, went on sale recently.

021 – APPEALING SHIRTS. Pictured at the unveiling of the Handstand Appeal shirt are Marshall Janson and parents Moss Janson and Stephanie Harris, with Redruth rugby players, left to right, standing, Mark Bright and Richard Carroll, and, kneeling, Darren Jacques and Sam Heard

The new shirt, priced £39.95, is now on sale in the Skinners Brewery Shop in Truro and through distributors Lovell Rugby (www.lovellrugby.co.uk) and at the “Red Shop” at Redruth’s Recreation Ground.

“The design, manufacture and distribution of the shirt has been a substantial undertaking for everyone concerned and the brewery is delighted and privileged to be involved in such a worthy cause; everybody is rooting for young Marshall,” said Steve Skinner, the brewery’s chief executive.

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Tina Ryder, Marketing Manager (Dartmoor Brewery), Simon Loveless, Head Brewer and Managing Director (Dartmoor Brewery) Richard Hutchings (Senior Partner, Kitson Hutchings) and Mark Shackleton (Dartmoor Brewery)

Senior partner at leading regional law firm Kitson Hutchings, Richard brings a wealth of licensing experience to the Dartmoor board having been involved in many of the region’s most prestigious licensing deals.

With an existing million pound state of the art brewery based in the heart of Dartmoor National Park at Princetown, Dartmoor Brewery is poised for further building and plant expansion in 2010 to allow for the launch of a new beer this coming Easter.

Speaking of Richard’s appointment, head-brewer and Managing Director, Simon Loveless said:

‘We are delighted that Richard has joined us - his strong local and regional connections coupled with his many years of licensing knowledge will be invaluable to us as we continue our rapid growth.  He will compliment the existing board of two other non- executives: including Peter Cliff (F.D.) chartered accountant and senior partner of the West Country firm of chartered accountants, Francis Clark.  

Richard is the latest coup for the brewery following the recent key appointments of second brewer Mike Lunney, previously at Gales of Portsmouth, Mark Shackleton until recently star salesman at St Austell, and well respected Tina Ryder as marketing manager.

‘And to round off our most successful year ever, we have also this month appointed market-leaders LWC as our sole distributor, further strengthening our grip on West Country sales’, Simon finished.

Commenting on his appointment Richard Hutchings said:

‘Kitson Hutchings has represented the interests of the licensing trade for many years so this appointment is a natural move for me. I very much look forward to playing my part in the next chapter of this exciting West Country business success story’.

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Money from the sale of this beer will be used to support the Plymouth branch of the Royal Naval Association and the furtherance of it’s charitable works.                            

One of the foremost Branches of the R.N.A., it was formed in Oct. 1946  and meets in the W.O. and S.R. Mess, H.M.S. Drake. The Branch is proud to live up to the Association’s motto of “Unity, Loyalty, Patriotism and Comradeship” and fiercely guards the traditions of the Senior Service and the Devonport Port Division.                           

Membership of the R.N.A. is open to all serving and former members of the Naval Forces of the U.K. and Commonwealth navies. The present membership exceeds 28000 and all members belong to one of the 400 Branches situated world wide.

The name of the beer is taken from the naval nickname for Plymouth, GUZZ and the label features the famous Devonport Port Division cry of “Oggie, Oggie, Oggie”

GUZZALE  is made from traditional English ingredients. The Westminster lager malted barley is grown by Brian Lethbridge of Old Quarry Farm, Stokenham, Devon, whilst the Pilgrim Hops are grown by Martin Cook of Knightwick, Worcs.  and First Gold Hops are grown by Colin Pudge of Bishop’s Frome in Herefordshire. 

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One of the south west’s most glittering awards nights has celebrated the hard work, professionalism and commitment of landlords, restaurateurs and hotel managers across the St Austell Brewery estate.

The annual Tribute Estate Awards, held at Atlantic Hotel, Newquay, saw 280 people from St Austell Brewery establishments across the region gather for a gala dinner ceremony and to see the winners announced in 17 hotly-contested categories.

For the full article go to:  Business Cornwall

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FLASHBACK to last year’s Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, with a lively scene at Custom House Quay.

Cornwall’s Skinners Brewery has renewed its sponsorship of the world’s biggest free maritime music festival for another year.

Skinners has supported the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival ever since its inception in 2004.

The event has rapidly grown in scale and popularity and last year attracted some 350 singers from all over Britain and abroad and an aggregate audience of around 10,000, resulting in a £4,000 donation to the RNLI.

For the 2010 event, from June 18-20, all the singers will be regularly refreshed with the aid of 2,000 pints of beer supplied free as part of the sponsorship deal with Skinners, who will also pay for promotional posters and corporate clothing for the organisers.

“Many other maritime festivals around the world are in decline, but Skinners have been right behind us from day one and their continued support in these difficult economic times is a massive boost for everyone concerned,” said John Warren, spokesman for the Falmouth Shout group, who organise the festival.

FRENCH CONNECTION – Cherbourg Shanties perform at last year’s Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival.

Twenty groups have already confirmed their attendance – just three short of last year’s best-ever figure.

Skinners chief executive Steve Skinner commented: “If ever there was a success story to make Cornwall proud, this must be it. It has become a massive feature on the county’s events calendar and we are delighted and privileged to be involved. The mood and atmosphere generated by the singers is quite stunning and simply incomparable.”

According to Mr Warren, there will effectively be unbroken singing through the festival, with at least one group in action at some point, at one of the six locations, throughout the event’s active hours – from 6 pm to midnight on June 18, midday to midnight on the 19th and midday to 4 pm on the 20th.

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The Keltek Brewery in Redruth has teamed up with London based “edible architectural wizards” Bompas & Parr to produce 1000 limited edition bottles of exclusive Courvoisier punch.

In 2009, Bompas & Parr worked with the well known Cognac brand Courvoisier to produce ‘The Architectural Punch Bowl’ – A punch bowl so large that it could serve 25,000 people, and you could boat across it!

A competition was held to decide the recipe of punch that would fill this unique project, and ‘The Emperor’s Shrub’ – a cocktail containing Courvoisier Exclusif, berries, organic cider vinegar, and winter spices – came out on top.

To add to the novelty of this revolutionary exhibition, another competition was held after the event with winners able to claim themselves one of only 1000 limited edition bottles of the punch.

Bompas & Parr contacted the Keltek Brewery in Redruth for help in producing the bottles, and less than 10 days later the prizes were on their way up to London to await the lucky winners.

Andrew Hawken - General Manager at the Brewery - said, “We loved this project. Being able to help in the completion of a unique and successful event like this is very satisfying. There can be a bit of a misconception that because we are a Brewery, we can only bottle beer but our equipment is more than capable of bottling other products too.”

Money raised from the event was donated to Article 25, a charity that gives architectural and building advice to aid agencies and NGOs in disaster situations.

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Soldiers recently returned from Afghanistan will be enjoying Cornish ale at their Christmas party this year thanks to a gift of 6,000 bottles from St Austell Brewery.

The Brewery showed its support for the troops by delivering eight pallets of beer – made up of the South West’s favourite Tribute and Smugglers Ale – to the Chepstow Army base of the 1st Battalion the Rifles.

The delivery was made by the Brewery in support of the national ‘Beer for the Boys’ campaign.

The 1st Battalion the Rifles, which has recently returned from Afghanistan, recruits extensively from the South West and sadly had eight Riflemen killed in action during the six month deployment.

Jeremy Mitchell, director of marketing and communications at St Austell Brewery, said: “We were delighted to be able to contribute to the Beer for the Boys campaign and deliver a selection of St Austell Brewery ales in time for their Christmas party. It’s a small token gesture from us in appreciation for the incredibly hard work they do on behalf of the country. As many of the soilders in the 1st Battalion the Rifles come from the South West, we thought a delivery of the South West’s favourite beer would be a welcome treat.”

Major Heys, of the 1st Battalion the Rifles, said: “Our thanks go to St Austell Brewery for this generous donation and to all those who have supported the Beer for the Boys campaign.”

The ‘Beer for the Boys’ campaign was started in 2007 by Royal Air Force Wing Commander Steve Chadwick. Its main aim is to provide a free can of beer to servicemen and women flying home from Afghanistan on RAF TriStar aircraft, which are operated by 216 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton.

For further details, including how to donate, please visit 216squadron.com (the Beer for the Boys website), text ‘Beer’ to 88886 or call Wing Commander Chadwick or Flight Lieutenant Paul Tolley on 01993 897393.  Cheques made payable to ‘Service Funds RAF Brize Norton’ and marked ‘Beer for the Boys’ on the back can be sent to Beer for the Boys, 216 Squadron, RAF Brize Norton, Carterton, Oxon, OX18 3LX.

Found on twitter

Taken from:  Business Cornwall

Posted by Nick Eyriey

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